Friday, March 23, 2012

Nov 2011. Went online and booked a room at El Cielito Inn. Made a decision to be near the venue. I didn't want to entertain additional stress by driving myself to Nuvali. Also, I want to get as much sleep the day before the event.

March 17. Woke up and checked the time. It says 6AM. Still early. Closed my eyes again and tried to grab a few more ZZZ. But my mind was already thinking about the race. Can't contain my excitement anymore. It just made it hard to fall back asleep. After 15 minutes, I decided to bring myself out of bed and started to pack my stuff. By 11AM, we were already en route to Sta Rosa

Original plan was to grab lunch at Paseo Center but decided to have it in Festival Mall instead because my tummy has been growling since we took the Skyway ramp. Had a half slab of pork ribs in Racks. Yum! After a heavy meal, we grabbed some chocolates, chips, sports drinks and distilled water in the supermarket.

A little over 2PM, we were already in our room. Decided not to sleep since I intend to have a light snack later in the afternoon. But Limitless got in the way. Instead of going out by 4PM, we headed out to Paseo Center around 5:15PM. On our way, I got scared. Because I wasn't feeling hungry when I should be starving already. I'm accustomed to eating every 3-4 hours and every time I miss my meal I'd go bonkers (abdominal pains and headache)

I managed to shove a chunky tuna sandwich down my throat and wished that everything would turn out alright. We didn't stay long and immediately went back to the hotel. This time, I was keen on getting some sleep. At least 2-3 hours would be enough. I got what I wished for. I fell asleep around 730PM. My alarm woke me up by 1030PM and felt great

Called up room service and asked for a beef pochero. While waiting for my food to come in, I drank 16 ounces of water to keep me hydrated and opted for a quick shower. Few minutes later, room service rang in and brought my dinner. At that time, I was already hungry which was a good sign. To save up on time I decided to watch Spirit Of The Marathon while having my supper. Getting more conscious about the time because I had to clean up my plate at least 2 hours before the race

Didn't expect that the movie was lengthy. I was still halfway when I realized that the clock was way past midnight. Had to put the movie on hold so I can start taping myself. I have to say that I've underestimated the time it'll take me to go through this process. Even though I've done it several times in the past, I've spent almost 30 minutes taping my knees, my left ankle, and right shin. Next in my to-do list, stuff my bag with essentials

With 40 minutes left on the clock, we rushed out of the front door and drove like a mad man. I knew it'll take me roughly 15 minutes to Nuvali but had to make an emergency pit stop at a convenience store. I forgot to tape my little toes and needed a pair of scissors. Eugene (Eugenator/Alpha1) called up and asked our whereabouts. Made a gentle reminder that I still need to check-in and that I might miss the gun start

By the time we arrived at the parking area, heard the emcee saying that there's still 15 minutes left before the race. Agitated and confused with the event layout, I called up Eugene and asked for directions. Needed to know where to get my timing chip. The check-in process was smooth. I got in and got out in just a few minutes. With 10 minutes to go, I drank 8 ounces of sports drink and taped my pinky toes. All of it was captured by Deemen Noel (thanks bud!)

Since I was getting nervous, a bathroom break was in order. Good thing there was only a short queue to the portalet. While waiting for my turn, I listened to my power song to calm my nerves. Another announcement was made. Only a minute left before the gun start. I rushed back to the assembly pen and waited for the countdown. Since the pen was full I just settled at the back and didn't bother to squirm my way to the front. This works in my favor as I get to pace myself properly during the first few kilometers and avoid running hard and crashing afterwards.

Mood was very festive. Adrenaline was through the roof. Lots of cheering going on. Lots of positive vibes. And if I may add, lots of tarps and posters of varying shapes and sizes. Words of encouragement. Names of runner. Others were logos of running groups. Ours were no exception. Rolly ... preesh the effort!

Countdown begun. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Then off we go! Armed with an energy gel and a blister tape, I scurried off along with the rest of my batch mates and passed through the start/finish arc

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About Me

Manila, Philippines

In his quest of surpassing a friend's personal best, he followed his mum's advise (a sprinter back in the day) and adopted natural/minimalist running as his weapon of choice. His passion for running has led his feet to international marathon events.

A firm believer that nutrition is as important as your tempo runs on Thursday nights and that you have to develop mental toughness in order to finish a full marathon. His no-nonsense, no sugar-coating writing style has gotten him into some trouble and his blog was born out of a desire to help others better themselves

This website features a cross section of a variety of subject mainly on minimalist and barefoot running. And my take on the running craze in the Philippines. Feedback is always welcome, so feel free to contact me anytime at barefootdaves(at)yahoo(dot)com